ABF U-Pack Damaged Belongings due to Bulkhead not properly installed by ABF rep!!!! Fort Smith , Arkansas
ABF, U-Pack You Pack. We Drive. You Save. You get tricked and disappointed! Due to ABF's negligence, of securing the bulkhead, my items are damaged, destroyed and lost. As instructed, I loaded the ABF trailer at ABF Orig. Terminal-221 December 21, 2012. Although I expected some slight shifting of my items, I was assured that my items would be protected, divided and secured by the bulkhead installed by the ABF representative at the terminal.
However, when the trailer arrived at my destination in Lewisville, TX the bulkhead was not attached, it was uneven and it was leaning forward. The improperly attached or defaulted bulkhead and beam had moved beyond the 6 foot mark on one side of the trailer. The other side of the bulkhead was not secured to the wall of the trailer. I could literally stick several fingers in between the trailers wall and the rubber cement block that was supposed to be attached to the wall of the trailer. The metal beam that was supposed to be locked was on the floor.
Due to this, my items were shifted, tossed and turned, damaged and important documents slid through the cracks of the bulkhead and got lost for thousands of miles from Florida to Texas and anywhere the trailer went in between. I noticed several of my items loose on the floor of the trailer due to the bulkhead not being secure and locked by the rep. Ive since then had to purchase new clothes and other household items and be without my belongings because of this inconvenience. I wanted a discount or a reduced fee due to the bulkhead not installed correctly by the rep at ABF.
I spoke to the Local and Corporate Office. They are quick to put the blame on me although I did not touch or install the bulkhead. I filed a claim and was SO disappointed because according to Chris Patriot, ABF Freight System, Inc.Cargo Claims Analyst Tel#: 479-785-6497Fax#: 479-785-8800 at cboatright@abf.com, he says that it was my fault and ABF found no evidence of ABFs negligence in these damages although the bulkhead was improperly installed by the ABF rep!!!
SInce then I've also filed complaints with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration , contacted my local attorney general's office, and the BBB and will continue to write on blogs and moving review sites. Also ontop of that, ABF has threatened to sell my things and added hundreds of dollars of fees. I am a college student who moved to TX for a better life and ABF is willing to sell my most important things in my life. ABF has showed that they are very cold and is not willing to take responsibility.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Genise
Lewisville,Texas,
United States of America
Avoid ABF UPack at all costs!!! Get a U-Haul instead like I wish I would have
#3Author of original report
Tue, January 22, 2013
Avoid ABF UPack at all costs!!! Get a U-Haul instead like I wish I would have... Pointblank, ABF doesn't want to take responsibility for my belongings being damaged. I did not install the bulkhead or even lay a finger on it after loading my household items as instructed by ABF. Yet they want me to pay/take possession of my delivery. I was NOT going to agree to pay a dime for my damaged goods. Even the ABF truck driver agreed and said that the bulkhead was not installed correctly!He also had never seen anything like that in the 6 years working as a ABF driver. Financially, I would have been at a loss if I would have paid the $850+. Claims would only award me $.10 for every lb of the damaged item. For example a brand new , 50lb. 40" flat screen that costs $500, claims would only give you $5.00 in the claim!!! That would be a waste of my time and my money! UPack is totally at fault here. They did not secure my things properly. The metal beam should have been locked and it wasn't. I wish I would've known that the rep did not do his job. I could understand if I installed the bulkhead myself, then I would be at fault. However ABF installed the bulkhead so they are at fault. Save your time, your money and make your move easier by getting a truck, its not worth the headache.
Kay Lynn
United States of AmericaResponse to customer
#3UPDATE Employee
Mon, January 21, 2013
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to respond to this customer concern. We take customer feedback seriously and want to use it to 1) address the problem at hand and 2) use it to continually improve our service. I have researched the customer's move and found that the shipment arrived at our Dallas terminal on 12/28/12 and we contacted the customer for delivery appointment. The customer did not have funds at the time and asked us to hold the shipment until 1) she could collect the funds and 2) she might possibly have someone else sign/receive the shipment on her behalf. We held the trailer until 01/06/13 at which time she indicated she could take delivery. We did this without charging $50/day detention charges per the contract. We delivered the trailer assuming she would have the money owed. She did not. She looked in the trailer and found suspicion of damage due to a leaning bulkhead and refused the shipment. However, we would have had to take the shipment back anyway, since she did not have the payment. Since that time, we have continued to hold her items - but must insist that she pay the amount owed. We cannot continue to hold it without freight payment or storage charges that continue to accrue. She did file a $1200 damage claim - but the claim could not possibly be honored by our company even if there were evidence of carrier negligence because (1) she has never taken possession of the shipment and (2) she still owes us $847+. U-Pack Moving is not at fault in this situation. We are simply trying to collect the amount owed to our company and deliver the items shipped.